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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Baneuil Castle is a medieval building located in the commune of Baneuil, Dordogne (New Aquitaine). Built in the 11th century on a feudal motte, it was initially used as a watchtower to monitor the Dordogne and Couze valleys. Its primitive dungeon, accessible by a ladder leading to an aerial polene, illustrates the defensive techniques of the era. Over the centuries, the castle was enlarged: a guard room was added, followed by a house and a round tower flanked by a scallop in the 14th century.

In the 13th century, the estate belonged to the family of Abzac. The Calvimonts, owners in the 15th and 16th centuries, probably built the current house body, embellished with a turret in corbellation. The castle, besieged several times during the Hundred Years' War, bears witness to the conflicts that marked the region. Its architecture thus combines medieval defensive elements and Renaissance developments, reflecting its evolution according to strategic and residential needs.

Ranked a historic monument since 18 October 1946, the castle of Baneuil remains a private property, partially open to the public in summer (June-July). Dominating the village from a height, it offers a panorama of the valley and embodies the feudal and seigneurial history of the purple Périgord. Its 11th century dungeon, with its complex access by narrow ladders and passages, recalls the defence systems characteristic of the first medieval fortifications.

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